Good News/Bad News, they come together

[Mike Kuscher]

Hi all,

A quick 'check in' on the current situation.
First the Good news.
I met Brian and Ann on their way to the ploughing match.
They came with lots of 'goodies'. Home grown potatoes and Squashes, and jars of Anns' Chutney. The Green Bean Chutney did not last long, it's great on Ham Sarnies.

Now this is what is great about this site.
Brian collected a cast 3 spoke major wheel off me that he wanted, Loaded it onto the trailer with Dotty.
I collected a Dexta/Super Major DAR valve, with new pipes made up, from Brian, that was wanted by Ed (Roadless63) down in Hampshire.

The following Friday I called in at Eds' place, a nice leafy Hampshire lane, to give him the DAR valve.
Ed, in exchange, gave me the Major Auxhiliary Valve that I have been searching for for so long.

So, everybody got what they wanted, with little trouble and nothing like the stupid prices we have seen these things going for on ebay.

Now the BAD NEWS
Hedge cutting last weekend. Just finishing the first section of Blackthorne hedge when the hedge cutter met with a tough section of tree stump, buried in the hedge.
I could not stop quick enough.
Result?
Head Casting and Conrod of hedge cutter now a 'write off'.

So now, I have to see if it is possible to repair or replace them.
Here's some pictures.

The whole of this black casting now has to be repaired or replaced



You can see where the mounting lugs have broken through



And this is the remains of the Conrod



How do I feel about this? This is how I feel...



And the final straw?
Blackthorne thornes into both front tyres of the Major.
Puncture repairs carried out to both front wheels.

Mike

[Kiwi Kev]

Mike
Glad to hear that you got your aux valve in the end.
Hope it worked ok before the breakdown.
I'm off to New Zealand next month to pick up my aux valve.
Am making a shopping list of various Fordson parts to get. May even stop in and catch up with "The Swandri Guy" as I'm driving past.
Kiwi Kev

[Bensdexta]

Hi Mike,
Sorry o hear your bad news.
What type of hedge cutter is it and how avaiable are the parts?
Hope you are lucky,
Ben

[Mike Kuscher]

Kev,
Because I'm still working away from home on this 'special project' I did not get chance to fit the valve before I started hedge cutting.
I still need to get longer bolts (3/8" UNC x 3") and clean the valve up yet.

Ben,
Hedge cutter is a McConnel 'swingover hedger' with a cutter bar or finger bar cutter.
Availability of replacement parts?
From my experience of contacting McConnel when I was first rebuilding it, some years ago, 'slim to non-existant'.

I am going to need a lot of luck to try and find spare parts, or else, going to have to be 'creative' if I don't want to scrap it.

Mike

[The Swanndri Guy]

Kiwi Kev, If you get time, call in.I'm just past the "Hampton Downs Motorsport Park" on the way to Hamilton.Cheers TSG.

[JC]

Mike,
Those pictures are huge! I had to open them with Paint and shrink them, so I could tell what I was looking at.
Its hard to tell for sure, but it looks like the parts are cast iron, not cast steel or forged. If the breaks and cracks are cleaned and beveled, you should be able to braze them back together. Peen the brass to counter act the contraction from cooling. Cool it slowly by burying it in dry sand overnight. You will probably want to build up the bearing surface on the connecting rod and have it bored, so that its round again, and the right size for the bearing. Don't let anyone talk you into arc welding it, unless it can be done in a furnace, and even then there's no guarantee that it won't crack. I'm pretty sure that I could fix it, but shipping it over here and back might be a little expensive

Disclaimer: Your parts may look different in person than they do in the pictures, so some or all of the above may not apply

[jambug123]

sorry about the hedge cutter fault,
have you tried the engineers in willersy they will make things from a pattern, i had some shearpins made up for my capstan winch from there and they were reasonable on price.

Regards
James